Review: Finding Baba Yaga by Jane Yolen

I have been in total love with verse novels and this stunning beauty, Finding Baba Yaga from icon, Jane Yolen, is no exception.

Summary

A harsh, controlling father. A quiescent mother. A house that feels like anything but a home. Natasha gathers the strength to leave, and comes upon a little house in the wood: A house that walks about on chicken feet and is inhabited by a fairy tale witch. In finding Baba Yaga, Natasha finds her voice, her power, herself….

Review

I don’t know much about Baba Yaga. I barely even know the cookie cutter Anderson version of the story. So I’d like to think that this version of Baba Yaga is the only one for me. Cause it’s also kind of the only one I know. This novella is punchy and incredibly deep cutting from the first page. There’s wisdom, beauty, and a magical mist from the very beginning.

Finding Baba Yaga is such clever writing. Each poem is one to be savored and framed as they piece together a story. I’d love to hear this aloud because I think it would sound exquisite. Yolen mixes new terms with the older stories, framing it in a new light. Yolen is an expert weaver – constantly weaving stories together and defying our expectations. Finding Baba Yaga gives us lyrical poems that can stand on their own chicken feet.

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